Sestak backs off Israel letter

By Ben Smith

09/03/10 09:32 AM EDT

Bill Kristol and Gary Bauer's hawkish Emergency Committee for Israel has been attacking a series of members of Congress who were among the 54 signatories to a letter, circulated by the liberal group J Street, which pressed Israel to ease conditions in Gaza and warned it to avoid imposing collective punishment on the Palestinians.

Now the highest-profile signatory, Senate candidate Rep. Joe Sestak, says he regrets signing the letter -- a win for the hawks and a blow to J Street's attempt to create political space on a pro-Israel left of the Middle East conflict.

Sestak reportedly made the remarks in a meeting with the Orthodox Union, a Jewish group, Wednesday:

[T]he Congressman said the one Israel related action he regretted was signing on to the infamous "Gaza 54" letter and if he had to do it over he would have sent an individual letter. The Congressman noted that he chose not to sponsor Iran sanctions legislation when President Obama requested more time for negotiations but that he did vote for the eventual legislation. As well, he noted that while he did not sign a letter to Secretary Clinton with other Members, he wrote his own letter to her on the issues.

J Street is very proud of the strong pro-Israel, pro-peace leadership that Joe Sestak has exhibited in Congress. He is one of the most thoughtful members of Congress on issues related to Israel and the Middle East - which is unsurprising given his decades of service in the US Navy, including in the Middle East, and his time as a national security aide at the White House.

We urge members of Congress all the time to send their own letters on the complex, nuanced issues that come up related to Israel and the Middle East. Our focus is on the policy, not the vehicle.

The only thing that has changed in recent months is the Netanyahu Government's welcome modification of the Gaza blockade to better achieve Israel's stated goals of weakening Hamas and enhancing Israeli security, in line with the policy that both J Street and the Congressman support.